Reason:please use the first argument of the template to provide a brief explanation. (Discuss in Talk:ASUS Eee PC 901#)

This page contains instructions, tips, pointers, and links for installing and configuring Arch Linux on the ASUS EEE 901 PC.

Most of the article can also be applied to eeepc-models which are similar to the 901 such the 901H, 1000 and 1000H. If you discover a configuration or software option applicable to a certain model that differs from what is described in this article, please add it, with a note about which model the suggestion pertains to.

Kernel installation and configuration

As of the advent of kernel 2.6.30, all drivers needed for the EEE 901 are included in the Arch Linux stock kernel. In case you would like to compile your own kernel, make sure that you build the following modules:

Your mileage may vary, but experience seems to show that the ap_scan=1 parameter is critical. Try tweaking the other "header" settings, too, if you continue to experience problems.

ACPI (hotkeys)

Option 1: acpi-eeepc-generic

Install acpi-eeepc-genericAUR.
For this package to work, make sure the eeepc_laptop and rfkill modules are loaded at boot.

Consult the notes included with the install for instructions on configuring /etc/conf.d/acpi-eeepc-generic.conf.

This will enable all the Template:Keypress keys and the four silver hotkey buttons buttons as configured in the default Xandros distribution, with some minor variations. Edit the /etc/conf.d/acpi-eeepc-generic.conf file to change or modify the behavior of the function keys.

Note: The kernel interfaces /proc/acpi/asus or /proc/acpi/eee are not available with the eeepc_laptop module. The corresponding eeepc_laptop interfaces are files in: /sys/devices/platform/eeepc/. You may need to edit some of the scripts under /etc/acpi/ to point to the correct paths.
Also easier links to the interfaces can be found inside of /sys/class/ . For instance the first battery is in /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/ .

ASUS OSD

Asus OSD is included as part of the acpi-eee901 package. Simply add the command asusosd & to your desktop manager startup script, or create the file /etc/xdg/autostart/asusosd.desktop with these contents:

Webcam

To record video and take photos, you may use cheese or the wxcam package.

To simply test the camera, you may use mplayer:

mplayer -fps 15 tv://

The webcam is reported to work with Skype.

Audio

Audio output is enabled with the default ALSA drivers distributed with the kernels. You may need to install the alsa-lib and alsa-utils packages to get full functionality.
Make sure the snd-hda-intel module is loaded.

Both the microphone and PC speakers should work out-of-the-box with current versions of the kernel and ALSA drivers. A common gotcha: if you're not getting any sound, did you run alsamixer and unmute your channels?

See the Arch Linux ALSA wiki page for more information about configuring and using ALSA.

Video

Some users have reported problems with vsync and the xf86-video-intel driver. These problems may be partially solved in the application (see this forum post.)

Connecting an external monitor

The xrandr utility (part of Xorg) can be used to switch into screen modes appropriate either for the EeePC's LCD or an externally connected monitor. Running xrandr -q will show you the available output devices and the supported modes. Then run the tool as follows:

Your monitor will probably support a bigger resolution than the LCD. To make use of that additional screen space, tell the X server to create an appropriately large framebuffer by adding the "Virtual" directive to the Screen/Display section in /etc/X11/xorg.conf:

On the LCD, the additional space will be unused, but when switching to the external monitor, the screen will be. Note that some window managers (such as ratpoison) might need to be restarted to realize that the visible screen size has changed.

Letterboxing with XRandR

If you have set up your X server and kernel to use KMS you might have some trouble getting a 800x600 resolution letterboxed (centered) rather than stretched, which might be unpleasant in some programs that do not support 1024x600 such as older games. This is because with KMS the xrandr syntax is a bit different [1].
To get a centered 800x600 visual field on your 1024x600 panel run:

The latest version of the Elantech touchpad driver patch is available at http://arjan.opmeer.net/elantech/ or here mac how to You'll need to apply this patch to your kernel source, then recompile the kernel. This patch has been tested on the 2.6.27.6 and 2.6.27.7 kernels.

Miscellaneous

If you do not have an xorg.conf file, and want to configure the keyboard layout on the fly: